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Wednesday, November 11, 2009

五行 (Gogyou in Roppongi)

五行

Located just outside the hustle and bustle of Roppongi lies Gogyou. Far from the dance clubs and bars catering to foreigners, but right across from a US Army base. I've had quite a few (drunken) adventures in Roppongi, and now tend to avoid it like an overcooked noodle. But I'll make an exception for this.

Such is Roppongi, where every side street has an embassy or fancy overseas dining experience or ex-pat dormitory. Lucky for us, though, Gogyou takes the best of both worlds. Great Japanese ramen in a very comfortable setting.

Comfortable lounge chairs and leather sofas.

Soft, designer lighting.

Booze.

And some nice chilled jasmine tea. I'm in and out of most shops in the time it takes to eat. But at Gogyou, you might feel like taking it easy for a bit. Open late (2:30am is the last order), I could picture myself coming here instead of staying at the crowded clubs that become a staple in many of our Tokyo lives.

The featured menu item is kogashi miso, burnt miso. It's less of a black miso soup, like at Keisuke, and more of a creamy tonkotsu with a burnt miso topping.

You'll be given a firey show as well, as they burn it for you just before it's ready. I think it's been mized with booze to give it that extra flamability.

The noodles are thin, and served with a bit of bite. If the burnt miso isn't your thing, you can get a regular shio. I gotta recomend the burnt shio though.

A word of warning, this dish is covered with quite a bit of hot oil. Nothing like the mouth melting Taishoken, be careful none the less. Also, with the added oil, weak stomachs may not want to down the left over soup (even though your Australian friend you came with is chanting "Skull, skull, skull!").

I found this shop in a new book I bought, a book that is a women's guide to Tokyo ramen shops. After eating, I went up to the master (2nd in charge I later found out) and showed him the book. Our conversation went like this:

Me - Great meal. Which shop should I go to next from this book? I'll take your recomendation for my next bowl!

I am starting research for a possible future Japan trip? I definitely want to have ramen at least once, and if possible tsukemen since you can't really find it in the US, but I am vegetarian. I will eat seafood for the trip, but I've having difficulty finding ramen shops that serve miso/fish/shoyu broths that aren't made with pork or chicken. Do you have any advice for my search? Thanks!